


The Magical Girl Project

by TopHatQuinn



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Homophobic Language, Magic, Magical Girls, Multi, Science Fiction, The power of friendship, a touch of romance, the power of finding yourself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2020-08-20 16:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20230972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopHatQuinn/pseuds/TopHatQuinn
Summary: One early January night, one hundred and twelve teenagers are taken from their home planet and given a mission; protect a dwindling race before extinction. In return, they will each be given magic powers as they’d never imagine. On top of that, they will be taken care of for the rest of their life, given all the riches and fame they could ever hope for. The downside? They will never be allowed to go back home. This is the story of the five individuals who decided to stay and fight.





	1. The Chains That Hold Us

**Author's Note:**

> *Blows kiss* Enjoy Ig

The first punch was a strike of thunder in the hallway and Ellery was already ducking for cover. The second one came like lightning that flashed right out of her field of vision. She knew the rules for school fights well; Stop, drop, and roll into the closest classroom for cover. Somehow Ellery never quite made it past the drop part.

“I know what you’re trying, asshole!” The yell came from behind her back and the only thing she could do was clap her hands over her ears and roll herself into a ball. The person didn’t matter, nor did the problem. All the mattered was her, and the ground keeping her up.

She knew that the yells weren’t directed at her, there was nothing for her to fear, except there was everything to fear. Panic did messed-up things to Ellery’s mind. El knew panic was some messed up type of drug, and she often found herself being a lightweight. She scrunched her eyes tight and counted up until she could list all 50 states clearly in her head. Only then did the earth stopped spinning in frantic circles.

She took three painfully slow breaths and finally peeked out from the turtle shell she hid in - or at least that’s how she planned it out in her head. The hallway was clear as far as she could see, all sterile light colors and flickering lights. A tap on the back of her neck alerted her attention instantly.

A second tap of a lang fingernail told her that the hall monitor had found her panicking in the hall again. Now all that was left in Ellery’s chest was a cool feeling of dread.

“Honey, are you okay?” 

Ellery nodded tightly. Even if her leg had just been torn off, even if she was being torn apart atom by atom. All El could do was nod. 

“Are you sure? I can write you a pass to see the nurse.” 

Panic wormed its way down her stomach that made her. Get away from me, she wanted to shout. She would wound up too much to get out a proper excuse. The meager, “I’m fine,” sounded tight and certainly not fine. 

“Okay, sweetie. You better get to class then. ‘Don’t want you bein’ late.” The woman’s country accent sounded too elongated and obnoxious. The feeling of the woman’s nails against the back of her neck felt sharp and scathing. Every little bit of Ellery was cranked up to a 12 and there was nothing El could do but try to control the damage. 

Ellery nodded again. This time with fire in her face and behind her face. Of all the time to cry, she scolded herself. Just hold it in a little longer. Ellery did all she could do to not look at the Hall monitor with her checkered nail extensions and wild makeup. She knew eye contact would be the thing to break her down for good.

The girl didn’t peak up again until the pitter-patter of Mrs. Dallary’s itty-bitty heels passed into the distance.

You’d think that a girl with as much running and hiding experience as Ellery Miller, you’d master the art of controlling your emotions in public. However, to the disappointment of almost everything who came into Ellery’s life, it wasn’t so simple. Emotions were irremovable to her. It was just something that came with the Ellery package, stamped there right on the warning label. The best she could do is hold her breath until the hot tears run down her face in the middle of her high school's hallway.

Ellery swiped at her face hard enough that she knew 5th period would worry over the red marks. She also knew the English teacher had inspirational cat posters on his wall, and that was promising enough to get Ellery up and going. She gave her skirt a cursory glance and wiped off the small bits of hallway rubble that had already attached itself to the fabric. That small bit of sympathy was enough of a push to get the girl up and wiping the hallway dust off her skirt.

Luckily the hallway was empty, so Ellery could complete her walk of shame in peace. Her fingers rubbed at her eyes as she walked and hummed a jingle from a toothpaste commercial she had heard that morning. By the time she slipped into her 5th-period class, her mind has mostly settled and calm like an ocean's big ripples becoming nothing but small occurrences without a notice.  
Ellery’s 5th-period teacher, Mr. Mike, pressed his lips together in a thin smile. She raised a hand meekly in greeting and traveled to the back of the room where the corner desk opted as the perfect not obvious hiding spot. A cat wearing a bowtie waved at her in greeting in his poster home. The young girl could start to breathe again.

She put her bag on the desk in front of her with a soft clunk. Her hands searched it’s contents until her fingers felt the soft wooly material of a bag. She spilled the contents onto the desk in front of her in a clunky wave of different colors. 

She flopped over her spiral notebook and started taking messy have-nots, without really hearing Mr. Mike rambling about something or other. Eventually, she got tired and started drawing things with wings until the bell rang at the end of class. 

\---

The School day was over before Ellery knew it, and the last chime of the bell that signaled the end of the day was a holy sound to the girl. She immediately scooped up her objects and halfheartedly tossed them into her bag. She high-tailed it out of the school like it was on fire. One thing Ellery was quite good at, was finding her way through crowded school highways. 

Ellery’s foot was out the door and she was finally free! Except, a hand tapping speedily at her shoulder told her that there was still a school matter that demanded her attention. 

She turned to face a girl with pressed-flat hair and the first thing that Ellery thought was, pretty. She had never seen that kind of hair color before. The kind that transitioned from brown to blonde like a stream, The girl was a little taller than her - most people in her class were - and Ellery had to take a step back. She raised her eyebrows in greeting.

“Ellery! Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” The girl said as she brushed a hand through her thick and well-managed hair. A scrunchie was wrapped around her wrist and it rolled down her arm a little. She had the oddest urge to reach up to the girl’s face and see if it felt as smooth as it looked. Ellery almost missed what the girl said next. “You don’t have any friends, do you?”

Ellery’s first instinctive thought was, What am I supposed to say to that? She went to murmur an ‘i know’ or a ‘yes, guilty,’ but she couldn’t get out a word before the girl cut in, “Well, I just feel so bad and you look so lonely all the time. I wanted to invite you to my house for a party tomorrow night.”

Oh, Ellery thought, Do we have the social capacity to do that today? She gave the girl a long stare as if expecting her to turn down her offer or start laughing. Where was the camera and where was the live studio audience? She twiddled her thumbs very carefully, “As fun as that sou-”

“Great! So you’re coming. I’ll let everyone know,” she paused to asses Ellery’s expression. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” she squeezed her arm tight in a show of support that left the girl reeling.  
“I’ll send you the information. Wait. I just realized I don’t have your number!” Like a train heading in a different direction, the girl pulled a permanent marker out of her bag and shoved it into Ellery’s hand. Without missing a beat, she exposed her arm to Ellery.

When the smaller girl sent her another long stare, the girl simply said, “It lasts longer than when you write it on your hand. Her heart skipped a beat and she had the oddest urge to hide her face in a place where no one could see it.

Ellery, at a snail’s pace, uncapped the marker and very awkwardly held her arm. The entire time she was scrawling the 10 digits that were her phone number, she was hoping her palms were not noticeably sweaty. 

“Great! Thank you, Ellery.” The girl smiled at her. But before she knew it, the mysterious girl had left her standing in the hallway with a tight hot feeling in her chest.  
She’d never even got her name.

\---

Ellery Miller had never been more excited to be home than she was today. She popped the door opened with her key and instantly let herself flop back into the plush cotton couch.  
“Good afternoon, El, can’t you at least say hi to your mother?”

Ellery’s mother stood at the base of the couch with her fists on her hips. She was a short woman, the reason why Ellery was so challenged in the height department. Other than that, and the shape and size of her slightly crooked nose, Ellery took after her father. It would take quite a while to come to the conclusion that Ellery and her mother were related, and it was always fun to see the look in their eyes as they tried to figure it out. 

Ellery’s mother had pin-straight black hair and light green eyes with clear fair skin. While Ellery was stuck with hard to manage dark grey hair and deep-set eyes that looked more like the color raw sewage than green. It was hard to like yourself sometimes when you always had to look up to the epitome of beauty all the time as a reminder of just how average she was.

Sitting up on the couch with an erect posture, Ellery folded her hands in her lap and smiled as well as she could. Exhaustion lingered in her bones and left her feeling like a used trash bag. “Hi.”  
Her mother pursed her lips and her knuckles took purchase on her hips. “What happened at School El? You have that ghost expression going on again.”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” Ellery insisted calmly. Her gaze drifted to her hands as her mother went to her side and put the back of her hand to her forehead. “Oh, Honey. Are you sure? You’re burning up.”  
Ellery carefully put a finger to her forehead. Her mom was right - it was hot to the touch. “Huh.” 

The older woman pushed Ellery down onto the couch. “Stay there. I’ll get you an ice pack.” Before the younger of the two could say a word, the older had scurried off somewhere out of sight. At least now she could finally lay down. She let the atmosphere seep calm into her bones veins.

The only sound left in the room was the buzzing of a generator somewhere. Despite herself, Eller smiled as she let the comforting arms of sleep take her away.

\---

Ellery waiting in bed that night with a lukewarm ice pack pressed to her forehead half-heartedly with one of her old wool headbands. She thanked whatever God had chosen to give her the flu that night because the thought of going to that girl’s party was stressful enough. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go to school the next day and face her with all of her kindness and expectations that Ellery would never be able to reach. The girl sighed and pulled her blankets over her chest. 

She often wondered what it would be like to live life like that girl from school, the one with the skin - to not be so annoying and in the way. She smiled into her pillow as she pictured it. Parties every Friday night with close friends. Movies, Coffee, and miniature golf. Friends who followed you with no questions asked. Someone who made her feel more than just a stupid kid. Ellery squeezed her pillow and imagined it.

There was a sound outside, a creak and a screech that left Ellery feeling more than a little unbalanced. The screeching sounds came again, and she knew that she had to go investigate.  
Shimming out of her forest colored sheets and Sliding her feet into her owl-shaped slippers, she lifted herself off of the bed. She palmed the ice pack on her head and decided to just leave it be; no one was going to see her anyway. 

Ellery palmed the door carefully and slid it open carefully. Before the door could creak, she slipped out from her bedroom and into the hallway. She carefully glanced at her parent’s bedroom door and nodded an ‘okay’ to herself that the coast was clear. Her feet kept fuzzy with the slippers and she was able to soundlessly exit the house.

The front porch was a tiny chunk of wood just big enough to stand on. Ellery, however, stepped down past the wooden porch and onto the rough asphalt bellow. The chilly autumn air was biting against the skin on Ellery’s arms and she instantly regretted not reaching for a jacket on her way out of the house. 

Squat houses stood against the night sky like guards - unwilling to let anything pass. As Ellery tilted her head back, she saw as trees spindled up like a cage, meant to keep her hidden from the outside world. A ghost of a hand grasped for her throat, and suddenly the girl was off.

Chilly rocks poked into her feet and leaves flicked the sides of her arms are she ran. Somewhere she knew or nowhere at all - it was all the same to her. She needed to get out and escape. Maybe it was whatever illness that was eating at her insides that was causing her to behave so boldly. She was tugged on by a string that she couldn’t see. The girl collided head-on with a metal fence. 

A flash of pain and then Ellery was stumbling in the opposite direction. She clapped a hand to her head - still warm - and stared at the fence with a nasty glare. There were no holes - The 20-foot-tall fence was completely inescapable. 

Logically she knew that if she were to walk far enough in the opposite direction, she would come into contact with the major highway. However, her heart was screaming that she was trapped. Her soul told her that this was a cage and there was no way out. Chains were attached to her ankles, and every step she took felt like a failure.


	2. The Meaning Behind a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellery goes to a party. When she leaves, she knows more about herself than she ever thought imaginable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, thank you for sticking around! Four months is a pretty long wait. However, starting now I will be releasing a new chapter every week! :) Again, thank you for reading.

There was a sinking feeling in Ellery's gut the following morning. The sky was awake far too early and the lack of warmth in the room woke Ellery from her slumber. She’d woken to a chilly autumn leaf landing on her nose; Her mother must have opened the window earlier in the morning. The sun was up, yes, but it was hidden behind a casket of early January clouds. She thrashed in the thin cover she had gone to sleep in, struggling to curl it tighter around her body.

Yesterday it was warm, today it’s cold, she questioned herself. Her mouth was dry.

On the bright side, she still felt light-headed enough that, with enough convincing, school could be a thing of the past. Well, at least for the day.

Ellery pulled her blanket tight around her shivering body. She took a deep breath and braced herself for the headache that she knew was coming as she stood from her bed.

Her mother was, like always, up and moving. Her hands moved quickly and with practice, as she made coffee, responded to emails, and talked on the phone. She was wearing a blouse and dress pants. Ellery knew that soon she’d put on a jacket and some kind of dainty looking earrings. It was unfair how she looked so organized and pretty.

Ellery’s mother turned around and pursed her lips. Before Ellery could tell what was happening, a palm was pressed to her forehead and her mother’s unflinching gaze was sweeping her up and down.

After a prolonged second, she pointed a finger at the couch in the living room and turned back to her call. Ellery didn’t have to ask. She knew what this meant.

Ellery plunked herself down on the fat cushy couch and curled her cheek into one of the cushions. She pulled her blanket up around her neck and closed her eyes.

“Family Matter. I’ll call you back.” Ellery’s mother turned back to her laptop and effectively tapped the enter button. And just like that she was back and present in front of Ellery. Hands lifted her up and adjusted her shoulders to rest on the back of the couch.

“Keep yourself elevated, El. Remember your headaches,” she scolded, her hands moving every which way. She clicked her tongue, “I have an important case today, but I’ll be home as soon as possible. Will you be okay for a few hours?”

“Yeah. Fine,” Ellery mumbled.

Eyebrows furrowed, but ultimately, heels clicked away from the couch. A heavy blanket was thrown over her chest and the door slammed firmly behind Ellery’s mom as she left for the day.

Ellery let out a sigh that came out of nowhere and curled herself back into the blanket. At least now, she was cozy in the heat of the windows, cast by the rising sun. As far as she was concerned, today was for her to be lazy and unproductive.

Somewhere between roll-overs and adjustments of her blankets, her thoughts strayed to the girl from the day before and, more importantly, the promised party. Dread ran through her system. She’d simply call and tell her she was sick- except she couldn’t. She had given the girl her number, but she didn’t give her number to Ellery. She was helpless like she was stuck in some kind of trap.

Ellery groaned into the side cushion of the couch. This was why she didn’t do public events. At least… she didn’t think she did. What if she did go to the party? Ellery thought she wanted to know more about the girl. She wondered what her favorite food was if she kept her toilet paper under or over if she poked her tongue out of her mouth to catch raindrops when water started pouring from the sky. She wanted to know her name. 

Ellery’s gaze fell to the coffee table where she had left her phone hours ago. Would she call? If she did go, she knew her mom wouldn’t find out. When she had cases, it is likely for her to be out all night.

Ellery made up her mind on one thing. If the phone on the table started to ring, she would go to the party.

She pulled the blankets over her shoulders. For now, she would nap.  
Four hours later, Ellery’s phone began to ring.

\---

The dress Ellery wore was tight. That made sense, considering that she hadn’t worn it since she was 12. The dress itself was mermaid green and covered in tiny sequins. She knew that she’d likely gotten it at a Disney store, but she was more concerned with the sequin tail that flared out at the bottom. She held a gift covered in plastic wrap, which she shifted from one arm to the other.

The front of the house sat in shadows. Peeling Grey paint hid the entrance behind layers of moonlight. Ellery hesitated walking up to the door. She felt like she wasn’t welcome here. A cozy thought in the back of her mind told her that anyone who let someone write on their skin meant their invitations. Ellery herself knew that she would not let another person write on her skin unless she liked that person a whole lot. That thought was what ultimately led her to walk up to the porch.

The small bit of wood that stuck out from under the house wasn’t very comfortable to stand on. She shifted on her feet and with a hesitant fist, she knocked surely on the door.

Ellery counted to 30 before nerves made her lose her place. She shifted on her feet and wrapped her arms around her chest. How long was she supposed to wait before leaving? Maybe she didn’t hear her? Maybe she had gone out and didn’t think to tell her she’d be gone. When they were on the phone, she didn’t mention anything about needing to be anywhere. She just told her to be at her address at 8:00 and could she bring some plastic plates?

She dug her phone out of her purse to check the time. 8:15. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

“Well? Aren’t you going to come inside?”

The girl with the smooth skin stood by the door with her lips pursed, she scanned her face, looking for something that Ellery didn’t know she possessed. The girl’s hair fell in loose waves around her oval face and almond brown eyes.

Speechless, Ellery found herself too busy studying the other girl’s face to notice the urgency in her voice. Before she knew what was happening, the girl was gripping her wrist and tugging her inside the house.

Legs stumbled and Ellery’s forehead smashed into the girl’s shoulder, sending them both stumbling back a step.

“I’m sorry,” Ellery insisted quickly. She shoved herself away from the other girl.

She just stared at Ellery with a blank expression, “What are you sorry for?”

Ellery instantly felt a blush rise to the back of her neck. What was she supposed to say to that? “I- Don’t know,” she rambled.

“Well,” the girl with the smooth skin coughed, “Don’t just wait out here, the other girls are inside.”

“Other girls?” Before Ellery could process what she was hearing, her wrist was being grabbed, and she was being hauled deeper into the house.

As the two girls walked, Ellery’s gaze shifted from side to side. Framed family photos lined the hallway wall. Most of the pictures were of a stocky, well-built man with dimples and the same eyes as the girl. Right down to the light dots of hazel they had in their iris. Down the hallway, a young girl started making an appearance in the photos. She was always holding the other boy's hand.

The girl with the smooth skin must have noticed her gaze, because she said, “My brother, Enzo. Left for college a few months ago. Penn State. He was super excited when he got accepted. Of course, that means he’s like a billion miles away now.”

There were probably a hundred different things that Ellery could have said. Things like, ‘Were you close?’ Or, “How about you? Where do you want to go?’ Or even, ‘the weather sure is nice out,’ but none of those words felt right on her tongue. She could feel her mouth opening around words that were trapped deep in her throat. It was like she was playing one of those claw machine games, where words were the unattainable prize. All she could do was stare at her miniature hoop earrings and hope the awkward silence would end soon.

It did, eventually. A girl appeared deeper in the hall. She wore her hair up in a bun and had a collection of colorful hair ties on her wrist. “Come on Ami, it’s going to be on soon,” the girl whined in a high pitched tone.

The girl - Ami - turned to look at the girl with the scrunchies, and when her gaze returned to Ellery, whatever unease that was in the air dissipated and was replaced by a smile wide enough to cover cities. “Come on, you’re going to love this.”

Ellery let Ami take her hand. She dragged both of them into a comfy looking bedroom. A large comforter was spread on the floor. Plush blue and green pillows sat on every possible surface, and fairy lights were strung around the room. In the corner of the room, a boxy tv hung from the wall.

The girl with the bun hopped right in front of the TV and clutched one of the pillows to her chest. Ami followed suit and sat by her, draping one edge of the blanket over her legs. Ellery, sticking close to the only girl she kind of knew, sat next to Ami on the carpet. The shagged materiel rubbed against her legs and she could understand why the blanket was needed.

Ellery now noticed that the Tv attached to the wall was on. She squinted to make out what was going on the tiny Screen. Right now a flashy car drove on a winding road. Happy music played in the background. “What-”

Her words were cut off by a finger pressed into her lips. “Hush,” Ami’s words were spoken with harmless venom, “you don’t want to miss a single second of this.”

Soon enough the happy music was replaced with smooth Jazz and the sleek looking car was replaced with a sleek looking woman. She wore her hair all the way to her thighs. A tight black dress wrapped around her artificially-tanned skin. The girl on the screen was with an enormously tall man with a head of beautiful blonde hair and a stocky muscular frame.

The girl with the scrunchies swooned and fell back on the blanket - and pillows - behind her. "I wish I was as pretty as her," she said with a whimsical tone. It didn't sound jealous or envying. Her tone made her sound like she was simply fond of the woman on screen.

Ami sent a look toward Ellery, "90-day Fiance,' only the single-most interesting shows of our generation." Her voice had a light giggle in it.

The woman on screen put her finger in the man's face, ranting about something on the man's phone. Knowing the nature of the shows, Ellery thought the man hadn't been very loyal to his fiance.

"Let me catch you up to speed," Ami spoke, "Last week Jerome was found liking another girl's texts! I heard from Jessica that there was even a tex-"

"Shhhhh," Scrunchie-girl spat out, "No spoilers."

"Well," Ami continued, "this week the camera guys will follow Jerome around. We'll get to see what he's really been up to!"

Ellery didn't quite understand it. Possibly it was because she never really watched tv. She'd never really had an interest in the drama - mostly because it would make her too jealous of all the girls onscreen. The ones who had plenty of friends and could afford to toss a few out in favor of drama. Ellery would watch them yell at each other while she scoffed and pretended not to care. Maybe this was a good time to start, she suddenly thought to herself. She looked up and realized where she was. 

Right now Ellery was surrounded by those kinds of girls. Ellery had snuck in without even realizing that she had done so. Maybe this was her chance to shake her life up a bit. Maybe she could swallow her pride for a moment, she promised herself. Maybe this was the key all along. Just sit here, watch the show, and all of her life problems would be solved.

The girls watched in silence for a while. The man onscreen sat around and exercised a lot. There was even a twenty-minute montage of the man walking his dog, which Ami seemed particularly invested in. Then what Scrunchie girl called the "Interesting" hour arrived.

The man onscreen entered a flashing club with a bass drum playing heavily in the background. The man went up to a barstool and talked to the man at the counter. He retrieved a yellow drink in a glass before going deeper into the masses of the club.

The scrunchie girl clasped onto Ami's arm and squealed under her breath. Ellery couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

A crowd of people danced around the man. He danced along to what Ellery recognized as a popular song. The man was obviously up to some pretty sketchy stuff.

A woman moved her body against his. She was wearing a leather Bikini with the club's name stitched across the breast of her bra. Her face was hidden in the crook of the man's neck as he moved his hands up and down her body."Hi again," she crooned. Ellery paused. She recognized that voice. On a second look, the woman had a bob of pin-straight black hair and green eyes that got a closeup.

That was her mother. Her mother was in a club, grinding against a man that wasn't her father, while men stood around and degraded her. Ellery wasn't sure how she was supposed to handle the images she was being shown.

Images flashed in her head. Ones of her mother leaving late at night with the promises of being back soon. Countless nights where Ellery slept on the living room couch because she felt too lonely in her own room. Sitting up and staring at the ceiling, insisting that her mother was making the world a better place.

Ellery felt the moment that her heart stopped beating in her chest. Without thinking any longer, the girl stood up and darted out of the room. her bare feet hit the carpeting and she slid on the floor when the carpet gave way to the hardwood.

Stumbling gave Ami just enough time to catch up with her and yell, "sorry! I didn't know you were a virgin!" She said the words fondly, and that made everything all that much worse.

By the time the warmth of the house faded to make way for the late afternoon chill, Ellery's cheeks were covered in fat tears that rolled down her face and onto her chin and collarbone.  


Images of the night flashed in her head and made her feel dizzy. She didn't care what kind of wall she hit, she just had to be away from that place with girls who knew things that she didn't, a mom that obviously had been keeping some secrets from her.

By the time she noticed the sharp stings of pain being caused by rocks digging into her heels, she felt emotionally exhausted enough to stop.

Ellery took several deep breaths, pressing two fingers deep into her neck. She counted the thumps that she could feel.

Once her heart rate went back to one that could be considered vaguely normal, the girl took a look around her. She was completely surrounded by lush woods that rose up around her. She didn't recognize this part of town. Ellery breathed in a sniffling breath. She didn't even know there were this many trees in Colorado.

A musical sound replaced the noises of Ellery's pained sobbing. Well, it wasn't music, perchance. It was sort of like a deep rhythmic rumbling that came from the ground and reverberated up into her spine. Must be some kind of earthquake. Despite the danger in that sentiment, Ellery felt no Sorrow.

A tree stood in front of her, one that she had not noticed was there before. The tree was old and tall, with thick branches that curved down rather than up. That was not the most interesting part of this plant.

A door was carved into the tree. Ornately designed as well. Flowers were carved around the base, petals drifted into clouds, and clouds tightened to form planets. Whoever carved the door must have been a master in their field.

Despite the stupidity of doing so, Ellery reached for the edge of the door with shaking and sticky fingers. Fingers clasped around the edge of the door, When she pulled, the piece of wood gave way easily. Instead of coming off completely, the wood swung open just like any other door would.

What was behind the door was not wood, but instead an inky expanse of nothing to be seen  
With uncertain fingers, Ellery reached into the door with shaking fingers, into the empty black. There was a strange feeling that overcame her body. It was like every one of her limbs were falling asleep at once, before spreading to the very core of her body. Every ounce of energy in her was drained out by nothing more than a single hand. Her last thought was, I hope she’s safe. Ellery was surrounded by darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three: The Other Side of the Door


	3. The Other Side of the Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ellery wakes up, she's met with an unfamiliar place and two unfamiliar eyes waiting for her.

Ellery’s conscience came back in a blur of messy images and thoughts. Her mother stood in front of her in a dark room, singing a song about a sailor lost at sea. Ami ran her hands through Ellery’s hair, humming the same song. A girl whose face she didn’t know flashed in and out of sight.

Her eyes blinked open to meet the eyes of another, blinding Ellery’s vision with green.

The girl had a defined jawline, one that put even more attention on amazing hair that clouded around her face. Ellery felt like she was looking at an angel. “Good morning, or well, afternoon maybe?” The girl's words slurred together, and she wasn’t sure if that was because of an accent or if it was merely a side effect of the spinning in her head. Mummers filled her head. She couldn’t tell which direction was up.

'Oh yeah. Your head’s going to hurt for a bit. Happened to all of us.”

Ellery struggled to sit up. Luckily the green-eyed girl was there to hold her up and wrap an arm around her shoulders. Somehow Ellery’s head ended up on her shoulder. She did pick out one important word.

“Us?” Ellery jostled when the other girl nodded heavily. “Oh, yeah. None of us know where we are or why or we’re here, but you shouldn’t worry about that now. I know first hand how bad the headache you have right now is. Take a minute - a breath. I’ll be right back.”

Now there was an absence of support where there’d been one before. Ellery slumped to the ground and closed her eyes against the pounding in her skull. From right where she was laying, it wasn’t too bad. She felt she could stay there until the pounding in her head ceased.

Ellery didn’t know how long she’d been laying down when she felt something hard on her back.

Eyes popped open and El glanced at the figure above her. This one didn’t look as friendly as the last. He wore a scowl on his face that made him appear twice his age. His mouth parted and it looked as if he was saying something, but with her headache, Her ears were broken record players. Ellery covered her face with a hand half to block out the sun, and half so she didn’t have to look at the man's expression.

Static buzzed as record players detected the movement. Ellery squinted her eyes open, and the stranger was gone.

Ellery put her hands on the warm soil underneath her, her headache just better enough to let her curiosity-free.

The first thing that she noticed was that the firm spongy material underneath her was not dirt. The material felt caky like it was more wet than dry. Ellery sunk her hand low into the ground and let the foreign soil touch her skin. She observed it, squeezed her hand and carelessly let the warm substance ooze out from in between her fingers.

“Strange, huh?” A yell sounded. The girl was back. Her dark hair bounced around her face like a cloud. She ran over with a smile on her face and stopped in her tracks directly in front of Ellery. Shallow pants of air came out of her mouth in exaggerated gasps.

"Yeah, it's crazy. No one knows where we are!" The girl spoke in a light and loud voice. She was far too happy to be saying the kind of words that she was.

"We... We're not... we're not in Colorado?"

Her laugh was loud and hard and long. It was as if she thought the sky was held up by her laughter alone. If Ellery had any common sense she would cover her ears, but she was far too exhausted.

"Why would we be in Colorado, silly?" She glanced down at Ellery from where she was sitting on the log. There must have been something on her face because her wide smile evaporated in thin air within no time. "Er- pretend I didn't say that. I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you."

"Offend me?" Ellery tilted her head to the side sluggishly.

The girl glanced at Ellery. There was something crazed in her eyes - different than how it was before. "My name is Daniella."

Ellery raised an eyebrow cautiously. "Ellery," she spoke. Her mouth was dry.

Daniella nodded back at her - mouth pressed in a thin line. The two of them sat in silence, with Daniella glancing up in a way that could melt brick. Ellery settled for watching the way Daniella's pupils shifted from side to side.

Awkwardness crawled between them like a foreign species - which, she supposed it was. Ellery attempted to solve the solution by tilting her head back to try and see whatever the other girl was looking at. She almost had to gasp at what she saw.

Above the two of them hung the most complex chandelier - if you could even call it that - Ellery had ever seen

Glass shards dropped down from the ceiling like plump raindrops, reflecting pastel pinks and yellows Each glass shard held an image in it - one that changed just slightly as the shards danced in a slight breeze. A tree shed it's spring leaves in one, in another one a bird sang it's morning tune. Ellery could see why Daniella was so captivated by the moving images.

There was one image that no matter how Ellery angled her head - no matter how she tried to picture the colors together. A figure stood against a blank background - unnaturally pink arms spread out and leading to stubby fingers. The figure could almost have been that - human - if not for its head.

Beady dog's eyes seemed too far apart on the creature's almond-shaped face. Twisted ears curled out from halfway down the head. There was no nose or mouth insight. The creature performed jumping jacks as the light ricocheted off the glass.

"Where are we?" Ellery asked cautiously.

The other girl's voice sounded more severe when she spoke. "As I said, I don't know. We all just... appeared here."

Ellery's mind flashed back to the boy that she had seen earlier, "they're more of us here?"

Daniella huffed out a laugh, and it was a small thing. "Yeah, plenty. I tried to take care of as many as I could, but there are just so many, and I'm just as confused as everyone else."

Ellery glanced up again, and around. Dani had been telling the truth.

They laid on the ground, hands pressed to their foreheads, they chattered amongst themselves, there were people here from all walks of life. Dozens upon dozens of children. All trapped in this strange glass container that rose obnoxiously hight above them. The only thing that seemed to be in common was that none of them could've been older than 20.

El nodded slowly, "I suppose that makes sense." The trapped feeling slowly wormed it's way back into her spine

Daniella nodded back. That silence that was beginning to become a habit between the girls stretched on long and heavy for a while. This time it wasn't uncomfortable. There was an energy between them that must have been some kind of confusion or loss.

"Let's go explore," Ellery blurted out. She didn't know where it came from, but there it was - out in the open.

Daniella flicked a look at the shorter girl - pupils shrinking as if she were insane, "what?"

Ellery shrugged, "it's not like we were given a rule book."

Daniella's eyes did that weird thing again, where they flicked in 12 different directions before they finally settled on Ellery again. When green met her face, Daniella's eyes had a different light to them. They were unbreakable now, deep and clear as she leveled a harsh expression in her direction.

Said expression melted into a big bright smile and Daniella spoke in a way that sounded like a promise. "I'm in."

\---

The inside of the castle was bright enough that Ellery thought she must cover her eyes before going outside - as to protect herself from the harsh rays of the sun. The exterior of the castle was quite the opposite actually.

Darkness wrapped around the two of them, that was the first thing that Ellery noticed.

"Oh! Hello, my friends!" Daniella crooned. Stars glinted from far away places and that seemed to be familiar enough for Daniella.

Ellery took a look around and found herself staring back at the castle. The entire building was made out of glass. That she knew already. what she didn't know was how incredibly big it was. Story on top of story on top of story stacked on top of each other. She guessed there was a reason why people didn't make skyscrapers see-through, and this was it. She couldn't imagine the fear of being on the top floor and looking out the window. The drop would look nauseating. The castle started tall and wide at the bottom and got progressively taller as Ellery's eyes scanned up.

Not only was the castle tall, but it was also bright. There was no visible light source to be seen, and yet the inside looked like it was set up as one gigantic lamp.

"Woah," Ellery heard from her side. Daniella must have noticed where her gaze was leading. "Yeah," Ellery nodded dumbly along. The castle was beautiful. What was even more amazing was the fact that everything inside was so... naturistic. This was an inside-out world, and no one had a road map.

Ellery caught sight of something poking out from the corner of the castle. It curved from the topmost part of the building and the girl had to investigate.

Stepping forward, the object gained more shape. Circular, that was. Dark blue and gold stood out from the pinks and yellows of the castle. One more step revealed another curve.

There was a cold hard fear that filled Ellery like a glass being filled carelessly. She had to take a step back, she had to watch the object dart behind the castle again before her mind would let her even consider the thought.

Ellery was staring at another planet.

Words caught in her throat and left her dizzy. Her seeing a planet this close meant only one thing. Wherever they were, they weren't on earth anymore.

Ellery was on her knees in an instant. Breathing exercises flashed in her head like warning signs - going and leaving too fast for Ellery to see. Vision curled around itself. In front of it, all the gold and blue proof that she was way too far from home. Being in an unknown place was a lot worse than being at home. Both were a cage, but now Ellery couldn't see the keyhole to unlock it.

Her hands scrubbed at her eyes in an attempt to regain some kind of balance in her. It had been a while since she'd had a panic this bad. This was the kind that left her dizzy and struggling to breathe.  
Before she could worry any further, there was a hand on her shoulder. Not too roughly - simply a light pressure. Ellery reminded herself to take that deep breath, and she could feel herself stop shaking. Her next few breaths were labored.

The air around the two girls evened out, and Ellery found herself being able to breathe again.

Daniella sat by Ellery, on the harsh sticky subsense that was now their ground. She didn't look at Ellery. She only stared past the girl at the stars in front of them. "Wow, El. Woah that was intense."

Ellery pressed her lips together. She couldn't think of anything to say back to that. Well, she could think of one thing.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was low and rough - the way it always sounded after she went through a panic attack. Usually, she wouldn’t say anything in circumstances like this, but saying those two words felt important. It felt odd to her that this random girl felt so much like a lifeline it the moment.

“Hey, hey. Don’t be.” Ellery could tell that Daniella was struggling for words and that only made the pit in her stomach wider. She knew that she didn’t deserve the kindness of this random girl. There was a little something disappointed in Ellery's chest. There was a part of her that was not in the present, but rather back in her room, wondering why it was never her. She would never have friends - never be a people person. She was a terrible liar and friend. Hell, her first reaction was always to run from the people she cared about.

Ellery wondered why Daniella stayed. Well, she knew why she did. It was because the two of them shared their names. They were together in this strange place full of people they didn't know and surrounded by things that they didn't properly understand.

Ellery felt Daniella's head cautiously on her shoulder. Her hair was just as fluffy as it looked from far away, if not a little springy. If the shorter of the two girls had any more energy, she would have buried her head into the other girl's hair, savored the warmth that she emitted. Right now, she was too tired, and their mutual understanding was too shaky. Right now she took what she had and she let herself close her eyes.

"That doesn't happen often," Ellery offered in a low voice. She spoke it in a whisper and wasn't expecting the low huff of a laugh from beside her.

"I could figure that one out on my own. You seemed just as freaked out as I was," Daniella spoke. Her voice was low too, and it carried a type of accent that curled her letters in ways Ellery didn't know possible. She hummed in response.

"I'm sorry," Ellery muttered. She leaned off of Daniella's shoulder. "Why do you do that?"

Ellery stared back at Daniella - blankly. "Do what?"

"Apologise?" For once, it seemed that the taller girl with the fluffy hair didn't have a smile or a laugh to offer. She tilted her head a little bit, but that was all she was given.

"You can call me El," Ellery spoke.

"Is that like a nickname?" Daniella inquired.

"No," Ellery responded truthfully. At Daniella's further silence, she continued, "but you should call me it."

"Okay, El, whatever you say," Daniella spoke and her accent showed again. Ellery smiled. They'd have to go back inside soon, to make sense of whatever was happening here. For now, everything that Ellery felt wasn't real. She could live inside this fake existence where she met a pretty girl and walked more than ten feet outside of her house. Maybe she'd wake up back home.

For now, that didn't matter. All that did was the feeling of hair on her cheek, the smell of Daniella's perfume, and what maybe, just maybe, felt like the beginning of a friendship.

There was a cold feeling on Ellery's neck. It was being grabbed by something. There was also a voice. Low and cold, it spoke. "You shouldn't be here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Four: The Alien Queen


	4. The Alien Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the new place that Ellery has found herself deserted on is revealed. Finally, Ellery will learn what this new planet entails.

Ellery whipped around, a new cold feeling enveloping her body.

The creature that stood behind her was a miracle and a curse at the same time. It was dark purple and tall. More so than a lot of the boys in Ellery's class. The creature was thin, and spindled out of the ground like a young sapling primed to bloom. Purple hooves hooked into the ground and similar hooved shaped ears poked out of the creature's head violently. Against the darkness of the sky around her, it was terrifying.

Daniella was in front of her without a second thought. Her shout of "Who are you?" was far too loud. It was as if she was still expecting there to be some kind of savior for them. They were in a place where they were too far from human eyes to be saved. The two of them were truly alone.

A slender hoof-like hand reached down the creature’s side. It curled its thick, puzzle-piece like fingers. Ellery could only imagine that the hoove's double was the thing that poked the back of Ellery's neck.

"You should be inside." The beast spoke. The creature talked in a voice that sounded like it was woven of stars, too. At this point, the creature revealed its mouth. It was very small, and from what Ellery could see, there were only two tiny fangs that jutted out of its upper gums. On its skinny unstable stature, lack of visible strength or teeth alone; The creature, by all means, was harmless.

"Not until you tell us who you are," Daniella declared bravely. Even in the low light, Ellery could tell that she was bluffing. Her shoulders were too tight, and her arms were shaking. Ellery grabbed for her trembling fingertips very carefully.

"Listen," the creature spoke urgently, "you don't have much time. I'll explain only after we're inside."

Ellery saw every single thought that Daniella had as soon as it flashed across her face. She saw as she glanced at the inside of the castle, where the rest of the humans still were. She gripped Ellery's hand when she nodded. "Walk and talk at the same time, or we're out."

The creature glared. They grabbed at Ellery's hand with wood-like hoof fingers and the creature shoved forward with a hefty grasp as she pulled the collective group to the castle. Ellery didn't miss the way that Daniella flinched as the creature did so.

"My name is Igneous," the creature stated.

"What, like the type of rock?" Daniella replied. Ellery cringed for her.

"My name is Igneous, I have lived on this planet for twenty years and my race is about to die.'"

Ellery and Daniella exchanged a glance. Daniella spoke dumbly. "Wow, that must suck."

The creature sighed. "I am a royal adviser to the Queen of my race, and together we have concocted a plan to save our people.

"What, you mean by kidnapping a bunch of unconsenting standbys?"

"The Queen will answer any questions you have left. She is much better at giving this speech than I am." Yet again, the two human girls gave each other a look. What had they been thrown into?

\---

Stepping inside the Skyscraper-castle a second time was much more jarring than the first. This was a place where the only light source comes from the giant building. The sun seemed to be the glowing chandelier, with all of its pictures and glass. It seemed to be the thing that this place most relied on.

Igneous shoved them inside the castle and slammed the doors behind them. The creature leaned against the back of the door with one hoofed foot pressed against the back of the door like a teenage boy might at a skatepark to try to look cool.

Everyone in the room startled to a halt. Despite all of the nonchalant looks and laughing, everyone was on edge - and for good reason too. Girls held on to each other and boys gave a nervous side to side glance. The whole room held it's breath.

Ellery flicked her eyes in Igneous' direction. Something seemed a little off about all of this. The purple creature must have done this for a reason, as there was another loud commotion going on on the opposite side of the castle.

The other side of the building was decorated by nothing but a tall colorless door. It swung open to reveal who Igneous must have meant when she stated that she had a queen.

The two creatures were very similar. The main difference is the change in color. This creature was a bright pink color, with small black dots freckling they're entire body. She shared the same puppy-dog eyes and hoofed like appendages as Igneous. It was still very obvious why Igneous called her a queen.

This pink creature was slender and tall, in a way that you might expect of a glass sculpture. Her butterfly's wings shaped ears were less like a burden on her face, and more like an accessory that she wore with grace. In the light, a smile was evident on her lipless face. For a few long seconds, everyone in the room stopped to watch.

"Hello, Humans," the queen declared joyously. Her voice sounded like strawberry lemonade served late at night.

There was an odd thought in Ellery's head. One that asked why this creature looked so excited. If what Igneous had told them was correct, then that meant these creature's people were dying.

The creature stepped into the middle of the room, directly underneath the massive chandelier. She walked like the entire universe was laid upon her shoulders, and she could take it all. When the creature spoke, it was with an energy that was meant to command people. For a moment, she was the center of attention.

"I would like to formally invite all of you to Zemenio."

There was a dull murmur that began in the room. People looked back and forth from one another, hushed questions were asked in low tones.

The creature spoke again as if she was instructing a group of young children. "Zemenio, if you do not know already, is one of the smallest planets in the Xenia Galaxy."

There was an instant intense murmur that rose from the crowd. Heads swiveled back and form and voices shouted out from the back. A blonde girl with long pigtails shouted out a questioning "Zemenio?" A brave boy from the back of the room asked, "Where are we?" Several others queued in with shouts of "Who are you?" The voices had Ellery standing back and stepping closer to Daniella.

"Fret not. There is a reason that all of you are here." The queen spoke as if she knew that she was right without a doubt and that everyone would listen to her.

"Not but one fortnight ago, my people have made a mistake, we are under attack, and I am here to atone for their sins.

"When I was a child, right as the war was starting to brew, my mother would sit me down on her lap and talk about a place that was in danger constantly. A place that would fall apart and come together again, and again, and again. No matter how many fights they have, no matter how badly they destroy their own planet, they will find a way to tape the jagged pieces back together."

The Queen smiled with a thin mouth. Her two dainty teeth poked out of her lips. "That place is earth."

The crowd was quiet again. The queen stepped closer to the people that backed away from her. She reached to them with hands different from theirs and said, “My name is Queen Silantra, and I believe you can save my planet.”

\---

Silantra looked to the crowd with a hopeful expression. She didn't know a lot about the human race, but she did know that they tended to be bull-headed and easy to confuse. Her father's voice rang true in the back of her head, whispering stories of hope and happiness. Maybe that alone was enough to convince them. Somehow.

The humans had not ceased their chattering since Silantra had gotten up on stage. Rather rude, if you were to ask her, but that was not the point here. Silantra looked for Igneous' purple head in the crowd. Her chest started to loosen when her eyes met her scowl. She was there to be her bodyguard if anything got messy.

Besides, No matter how much the humans chose to ignore her, she could feel the individual energies of the crowd members. They were listening.

That was why Silantra continued. She pulled out every story her father had told her, every ounce of wonder and clarity, and spoke like she’d been spoken to back then. There was no room for hesitation.

“Your kind were built for endurance. You have strong souls. You may not believe it right now, but you’re exactly what we need.” She smiled in what she thought would be a warm fashion. She hoped her teeth weren’t showing too much. She’d practiced hiding them, but she tended to smile with her entire being and so that was often impossible.

The crowd shifted their heads back and forth. Humans were interesting like that. Being so different behind closed doors, and yet unstoppable when put into a crowd.

“You will be paid for your efforts. Anyone who stays will be granted a long-lasting life, and an eternal home here on Zemenio.”

A heavy-headed male from the back crooned in with, “Yeah, what’s the drawback?”

Silantra sighed. If the humans were hesitating before, she would lose them all after giving them the downsides. She had to tell the truth though. That was what a good Queen does.

“You will not be permitted to come back.”

The crowd gasped as one. Silantra bit her lip with one of her front teeth. She made sure to bite the inside, so the crowd wouldn’t see her watery clear blood. She let herself breath in another long breath, pulling her arms behind her back. The humans would need time to consider anyway. It wouldn’t be fair to force the decision on them.

“If you wish to leave, there will be no penalty. Igneous will lead you out now.”

Silantra felt hope in her chest still. She had to, after all. A leader is someone who stands with unyielding confidence and trusts that their subjects will follow them. Her people were more important than her feelings, or the need to be liked. A just leader is someone who tells the truth and leaves no room for questions, listens for input and ultimately leads her people to a greater good.

As the humans filed themselves out of the large glass castle, Silantra reminded herself of the three words her grandfather left her before he died.

“Honesty. Choice. Confidence.”

\---

Igneous felt bad about how Silantra must be feeling, but she didn’t feel bad about the situation. She had come out of the gate telling her just that, but then again, Silantra had never listened to Igneous’ opinions anyway.

She let go of the door and let it fall shut. She deeply sighed in earthy air. That was one thing Silantra wasn’t wrong about. Humans had a distinct smell about them.

But then again. All of this is over. Her crazy idea, like all others before it, has finally been laid to rest. With nothing but the smell of pumpkins and rainwater.

Now Igneous can finally put together a proper army of Anipresbian soldiers and they might have a chance at winning.

“I’m so glad you decided to stay!” Silantra’s voice rang out gleefully.

Igneous turned around to be met with the dust from the bottom of a chip bag. A couple of spare rocks in your shoe after a run, Igneous could lift all three of them with one hand.  
Zemenio was doomed.

“Yeah, yeah. Anything to help a gal out,” one of them drawled out. The male was tall and straggly. He was fit with a head of blonde hair, and dark brown hair everywhere else.

Silantra looked at each of her new recruits like they were gold. Hope filled her chest and turned the three soldiers into a million.

“We must begin at once,” Silantra exclaimed. Her eyes searched the castle with a passing gaze. They cleared as they met Igneous'. Good, reliable Igneous. With her mouth curled into a sneer. “Prepare the room please,” Silantra said.

Igneous huffed and shined her eyes, and Silantra knew she would get the lecture of her life later, but right now all of that was futile. Silantra knew that she would do what was asked of her.  
There was a feeling rooted deep in her stomach. One that filled her with hope and determination.

\---

The trip over was a long and uncomfortable affair. Daniella was skipping down the hall as if all her wildest dreams had come true, and the other boy kept trying to catch a glance under her skirt as she did so. The purple one was glaring and the pink one was beaming. Ellery thought she might suffocate and die right there in the middle of the hall.

“Welcome home,” the pink one said.

The door that the purple one stopped at was small and almost normal looking. Ellery felt a pinprick of relief. That is until the thing opened the door.

No more than two seconds in the cabins and Ellery was already sweating. This was odd enough as it was because the space was actually quite large. Polished oak spread out against the floor, with thin bamboo walls that sprung out. Large moist leaves hung down from the ceiling and dripped water onto their faces.

Daniella seemed to be in love with it. Her eyes sparkled and her hands clutched to her chest like she’d seen a puppy in a department store window.

The Pink thing seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, it was not the room she was impressed with.

She looked at each of the three humans in the room as if they might fly away if she looked away for too long.

“Alright, we must begin promptly.”

Begin with what, exactly? Perhaps this was where karma was going to kick her ass. Perhaps all of this was real, and she was expected to prance around and fight crime. The thought filled Ellery with dread.  
“Step up soldiers!” The pink one quipped cheerily, to which the three humans (Ellery included) stepped in front of her.

“As I promised, I have a gift for each one of you. We Anipresbians were never a particularly strong group, but we do have a gift that no other species seems to have. The power to transform,” The Queen turned to Igneous, “if you would please demonstrate,” she finished.

“Of course, Queen Silantra." Igneous stepped backward, away from the rest of the group. She unclipped her earring from her ear and threw it to the ground with the sound of shattered glass. She stomped on the earing, and then the incredible happened.

A flash of light surrounded the purple thing, and when she came back out, she was completely different.

Well, it was more like she was her, but slightly to the left.

Her purple skin was now crystalline, making her body look like a polished gem. A motorcycle helmet hugged her head, her ears nowhere to be found. a thick leather jacket clung to her torso and matching pants worked their way to her hooves. Her hands and feet (well, hooves) were left alone.

“Behold!” The queen shouted. "Now Igneous no longer has to cower in fear!”

“Is cower even in her vocabulary?” The boy whispered.

Silantra tugged at Igneous’ jacket. “All of the material is bulletproof, but as you can see, it stays out of the way to help her mobility! It’s all very Doctokine!

“So it protects her?” Daniella asked, beaming.

“I don’t need any help causing damage, so yes. I can be as reckless as I want,” Igneous grunted.

“So you’re telling us all this,” Ellery spoke despite every other voice in her head telling her not to, “why?”

“Why? Well, you’re going to retain this power too!”

“Wow! Really How?” Daniella chirped. If she was an anime character, there would be stars forming in her eyes.

“It’s a power that’s been passed down in my family for generations,” the Queen spoke, a knowing glint in her eye, “It was said that thousands of years ago, god herself looked upon the earth she had created and wept. A single silver tear fell to this planet and granted it's citizens the power to change the world for the better."

Daniella ooohed. "How does it work?"

"Allow me to show you," the Queen spoke. She stepped back and closed her eyes. she placed a unique hand on her forehead, where her crown rested. She parted her unhuman lips and spoke in words that didn't make sense to Ellery. Then she began to change.

This was unlike when the other creature did seemingly the same thing. While the purple creature changed almost instantaneously, the queen did not abide by those rules. A thin dome rose up from the ground around her, creating an enormous rose from thin air. Even though she was completely visible from the outside, Ellery couldn't tell what was happening to her. There was a thin sort of white haze that glowed a halo around her body, making her form visible but just barely. What Ellery could tell was that the queen moved as if she were all on her own. There was a liquid kind of motion when she transformed. No one spoke.

The shell keeping her encased slowly parted, petals dropping off of a rose one petal at a time. Then it shattered completely into white wish flowers, drifting up lazily, sticking to the thick leaves that the ceiling was made of. All that was left was the Queen's form.

Ellery had to admit that she was caught off guard by the change. Not seconds ago, the three humans had been with the two aliens. Now it was as if there were four humans all along.

Her hair was wavy and black, and her eyes glinted gold. She was a human from her stubby fingernails to the white spots that covered her face.

"Let me reintroduce myself," Silantra said, "My name is Queen Silantra, and I am the gift giver."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Five: The Gift Giver


	5. The Gift Giver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are excited to recive their gifts, until something unexpected interrupts them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the chapter's late! Hope you enjoy :)

Daniella was dazzled by everything laid out in front of her. For starters Silantra was gorgeous. From her golden-colored nails to the blotches of white the decorated her cheek and left a path over her nose.

However, the biggest reason was simply the principle of what was happening to her. Every second that she stayed here, she was a second closer to believing it. There was something in her heart that thought of this as a perfect sort of opportunity. Dorthy didn't say no to the talking lion, or whatever happened in the Wizard of Oz. And yeah, maybe Daniella was going a little over her head, but was that really a bad thing?

"Damn," the blonde said at her side.

Silantra laughed, her crown becoming crooked on her head. "Thank you. Are you ready to receive your gifts?

"Oh yes of course," Daniella said without quite thinking about it. Her face flushed in embarrassment when she realized the weight of her words, but Silantra didn't seem to mind.

"Step forward, little Amovi," she smiled.

Daniella stepped forward as soon as she was instructed to. Silantra laid her hands out palm-up in front of her. Daniella took after the cue and grabbed hold of Silantra's hand.

"I can tell you're a very special young woman," she smiled. She closed her eyes. Then she guided Daniella's hands together, palms touching each other. "Go ahead."  
Daniella closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. She opened her palm and looked inside at the gift she had been given. Inside her palms was a pair of star earrings that glittered brightly pink.

Daniella felt her lips part, and she was transported to a few hours ago were a pair of similar earrings glinted out at her. As soon as she got a secondary nod from SIlantra, she was putting her new earrings into her ears.

She didn't know what to do. What to say to express the intense feelings of gratitude that she was experiencing. Here, in this strange place that felt like nothing but a dream. She knew that no amount of words would be enough, but she had to try anyway.  
“Thank you," she said.

Silantra's expression softened for the briefest of seconds before her cheerleader expression was back on and she was saying, "Don't! I should be the one thanking you. Who's next?"

\---

Oh, anyone but me. Please, anyone but me, Ellery thought, her heart thudding with unease. She glanced at Daniella, her heart beating hard on her wrist, and then she looked left, to the empty space where the other guy had been.

He must have had the common sense to get the hell out of here, Ellery thought with sustain. With her teeth clenched and her eyes glaring, she stood up to the Pink alien. “I will, I suppose.”

“Wonderful,” Silantra said with that fairy princess type voice that she possessed. She outstretched her palms. Ellery bit her tongue as she returned the favor. Silantra squeezed her eyes shut and muttered the same prayer she did with Daniella. All Ellery could focus on was the warmth emitting from her hands.

Silantra squinted her eyes open. “Huh. That’s odd.”

Ellery shouldn’t have cared. “What is it?”

“No. Hold on. I’m going to try again.” Silantra said. She squeezed Ellery’s hands with a tight grip that sent Ellery’s heart tripping. She muttered that phrase again with her tongue annunciating every letter.

“That is so… weird,” Silantra complained.

“So I’m defective?” She should have been relieved that she’d been separated from all of this weirdness. Perhaps her messed up soul had saved her from being cursed or possessed. But like any other girl, Ellery didn’t feel too good about not having the right stuff to transform.

“No! Of course not. No one is defective,” Silantra insisted. “It’s as if, you don’t want to receive your gift.” Silantra glanced up at Ellery’s eyes. “Is that true?”  
Shit. “Er… no, of course, I want to.” Ellery felt herself struggling for words again. But this time she didn’t have the option of staying quiet or standing still. She felt that this interaction was more important than that.

The pressure went to her head, and bad thoughts started rushing in. The haze of her earlier headache wore off as the floor fell away. Her high was gone and she suddenly realized where she stood. Her eyes moved to Daniella in some weird grasp for warmth. Her green eyes did just that. She nodded in encouragement.

Ellery wished she had the courage to say that she wanted to go home. She didn’t want to stay in this strange place with strange people and strange rules. She felt her hands clench at her sides. Tears threatened to sting at her eyes.

Silantra was in front of her with pleading eyes, asking Ellery a favor with them and the shorter girl didn’t want to admit that she didn’t know how to fulfill that desire.  
The door slammed open. All 6 feet of Igneous crammed herself into the tiny space. “There’s been a premises breach,” A small dog-like creature barked behind her, “the humans are in danger.”

Silantra’s eyes drew cold. “How many of them?”

“Six,” Igneous replied. Silantra nodded. She lifted the crown off of her head and shifted back into her alien form. She walked over to the tiny dog looking creature. It had baggy sacks that hung off of its sides, “Keep this safe.” She handed the crown off to one of the dog's sacks while the dog gave an enthusiastic bark.

“Let’s go,” Silantra said. Igneous’ eyes became slits. “Don’t you want me to call the troops?”

“There’s no way I’m putting them in danger if I don’t have to,” Silantra said.

“Going alone is a suicide mission! Even if I’m Suited up.”

The expression Silantra gave igneous was one that was completely out of character for her. She’d expect the glare and scowl to come from Igneous, but never from the bright cheery girl standing in front of her. “We’ll figure it out. Come on.”

Igneous sighed but didn’t say anything further in the argument. She tore the earring from her ear and stomped on it. “Let’s go take care of them,” she said. Silantra nodded and the dog barked. The three of them were out of there before anyone could say another word.

Daniella and Ellery looked at each other. There was a kind of solitary understanding between their eyes. They then both smiled and headed out the door to follow both of the alien creatures.

They counted down a minute before they sneaked out of the room, door squeaking open and for once, Daniella wasn't rambling.

Their eyes scanned back and forth, to two hallways. Ellery had to take a second to note the difference in the way that the room was structured compared to that of the hallway. While the room had a campy home feel, the hallway's walls stretched up high and tall. It was a hydraulic style that had both of the girls shuddering.  
Daniella led the way, careful foot placed in front of careful foot. Ellery sneaked out behind her in the ginormous hallway.

There was no sight of either Alien, but they both had a decent idea of where the two went. Igneous had left behind a trail of broken glass and glitter. The two girls would have laughed had they not been trying to sneak around.

By the time that they reached the end of the glitter trail, they were met with yet another giant door.

"Jeez. It would at least be better had they been normal-sized doors. Now I just feel left out," Daniella humfed.

Ellery sighed and hushed the girl. But she couldn't complain any farther because she too, wondered why there were so many tall doors in this place. Well, it did kind of make sense because both Silantra and Igneous were taller than six feet. She wondered if all of their kind was like that too.

She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and gave it a pull, to find it completely stuck. "Crap, It's locked."

"Oh shoot," Daniella pouted under her breath, "you don't happen to know how to pick a lock do you?"

"Do you have a hair clip?" Ellery whispered back.

Daniella gave Ellery one of her signature megawatt smiles and pulled one out of her hair. Her hair fell out of place and spilled down to her waist. Ellery flushed and tried not to notice.

Ellery kneeled by the door and fiddled with the hairclip, but it felt like every time she got close to unlocking the door, the lock changed its shape and Ellery had to start all over again.

"Can you do it?" Daniella inquired.

"Unlocking a boiler room door is nothing like this. I'm afraid that it is out of my wheelhouse," Ellery admitted. She sighed and handed the hair clip back to Daniella. She smiled and put it in her pocket instead of putting her hair back up.

"Oh pooh. What now?" Daniella pouted.

"We go to the rooms again, so that when they come back we're right where they left us."

"That's no fun," Daniella said. "Are you sure that there's not another way out?"

"We'd get lost and die of starvation before we found one."

Daniella frowned deeper. Ellery bit her lip. She began pacing back and forth across the floor. She found that she always thought better when she was on her feet. Her mind kept going back to the door's lock. It was weird that It wouldn't hold it's shaping. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that foul play may be involved. "Let me take another look at that lock," Ellery said. She up and looked at the lock again. She held her hand out and Daniella swiftly dropped the pin back into Ellery's open palm.

This time Ellery watched the lock closely. And sure enough, as soon as Ellery was close to popping the lock, the metal swirled around inside the knob and rearranged itself in a completely different manner.

Hmmm, Ellery thought. What can unlock the door? There could be a singular key being used in this situation, but Ellery's gut told her otherwise. Think, she told herself. What would igneous and Silantra both have access to? That's when it clicked.

"That's it!" Ellery declared, "Dani, hand me your earrings."

"But I just got them," Daniella whined.

"They'll be fine. Just trust me."

Daniella hesitated for a beat, hand protectively clasped around her ears. It only took a second for her to fold. "Okay, just be careful with them."

"Of course." Once the earings were in Ellery's possession Ellery poked them into the lock, using the same technique that she would have if she were only using the hair clip. Usually using small objects with such tiny pins would be a suicide, but if Ellery was correct, the opposite would be true.

However, as soon as Ellery jammed the earing into the keyhole, the door popped open. Not expecting the sudden change, she corrected herself quickly and turned her head to smile at Daniella.

Daniella smiled back and Ellery let her take her hand out of plain happiness.

"Care to do the honors?" She joked.

"Anything for you," Daniella joked back. She opened the large platinum door. They were not prepared for the sight that they were met with.

There was a weird thing that your brain does that Ellery once read about in her physiology class. One that said that once you see a traumatic image, your mind would do everything it could to get you to not see it. Force you to put the corner pieces of the puzzle together before the rest of the image could be completed. That was what Ellery knew was happening now. The image in front of her was pieced together slowly. One sense at a time.

The first thing that Ellery noticed was the smell. It was rancid and clung to the air as if it had nothing better to do. It was a little like blood and a lot like hot garbage. The Next thing Ellery noticed was the color.

The dark but relatively chilly outside was now warm and the air was dense. The air was clouded with some kind of dark green substance. A color that could only be described as dumpster green. There was a substance made of the same color that stained the ground beneath their feet. Igneous and Silantra stood in the center of it all.

They were surrounded by large bulky creatures with spines that jutted out of their backs like finger traps. Their skin drooped low below the bear catcher that was their jaw and swang side-to-side when they moved. They hunched over the two creatures and made them look like the size of ants.

“Oh no,” Daniella mumbled, “They’re in danger.” Her voice rang loud, even in the cramped space. Ellery clapped a hand over her mouth and yanked her back inside the castle. Daniella pushed back and peered around one of the large diamond-shaped doors. Ellery hid herself behind the other.

“We have to help them!” Daniella insisted.

“With what? What can we possibly do to help?”

“Give me the earings,” Daniella demanded. Her eyes were serious.

“No way. You don’t even know how they work.”

“I’m not standing by while innocent people get hurt.”

“You’re crazy.” 

“I know. Give me the earrings.”

“You’re going to regret it,” Ellery insisted, but ultimately she did hand them over.

Daniella smiled and stood up. She threw them against the floor and stomped on them. Only for her to flinch away in pain. “Ouch. shit!”

“Told you,” Ellery sneered.

“Not helping. What did I do wrong?”

“Maybe you’re not accepting it inside of you enough.”

“Shut up and be serious. There are people at risk.”

“Okay. Igneous had the earrings on when she transformed. Maybe you need to start there.”

Daniella’s eyes sparkled. “You’re right.” She clipped the earrings apart from each other and promptly shoved them back into her ear holes.

“Let’s try this again,” Daniella said. She threw them on the ground again and stomped. Then she was doubling over on the ground.

“Those tiny earings couldn't possibly hurt that bad.”

“You haven’t felt it.” Ellery thought about it. Daniella, as obnoxious as she was, didn’t seem the type to be overdramatic about pain. “Daniella, are they damaged at all?”

“No. Why would that be important.”

It dawned on her. “Shit, so that’s what it-”

An explosion came from outside.

Ellery and Daniella rushed outside, not caring anymore what the repercussions were. They stood shoulder to shoulder as they watched their barely-a-world split apart from the inside out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Six: Facing Reality


	6. Facing Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This thing finally gets some action. It's all uphill from here on out!
> 
> Special Guest Appearance by: My Sophomore GL stems. Thank you Vanderpool ;)))))
> 
> Also featuring: The chapter with the most scene breaks.

Igneous was transformed. She did that as soon as her feet hit solid ground. But she was worried that now, not even her amour would be enough to withstand the rage she felt in the moment.  


There was a sick kind of happiness in her anger. She felt this kind of 'told you so' that she wanted to yell right into Silantra's face. How ironic it was that she had spent all this time planning this wild Magical Girl Project instead of training the army they already had. Silantra put down the wrong cards. The Exosscreans had a hand full of aces and Silantra was waving around a two of clubs in victory.

Whatever. At least we can send the humans home after this, and then all of this business can be finished with. Igneous was almost savoring at the lips, just to see the look on Silantra's face full of surprise and failure. To see the way her eyes would crinkle up with sadness and disappointment. Perhaps Igneous had some issues to sort out later. Besides, that was not the problem at hand.

Igneous faced the Exosscrean. Her head was raised tall and her back was erected. The key to fighting these things was having good confidence. They were just large bullies after all. Weak at the core, but they easily get strength from making other's feel fear.

The Exosscrean was just a gigantic doe. Well, more accurately, they were like a deer that had been left in the microwave too long. Their legs alone rose high above Igneous' head, but, alas, Igneous could spot out every one of the 17 ribs that popped out of their spine and made a loop around their back.

She smacked her fists together and gave a satisfied smile when they made a hard snapping sound. She was ready to go.

Igneous dared a look over in Silantra's direction. She looked confident, but her eyes were wet. Igneous looked back to the task at hand.

She rushed in with fast feet and a punch to one of the beast's gigantic legs. The bones crunched on impact. She then put her fists to the ground and rolled herself over on the surface area the gloves allowed her. Just in time to avoid a glob of saliva and a gigantic paw in her direction.

"Try better next time," She sneered. She knew that what she was doing was unnecessary, but truth be told, there was something exhilarating about it. There was something nice about fighting in general. All of the energy. The way that she could prove herself with nothing but a punch. It filled her with confidence.

She turned back to the creature she was fighting. Their fists had gotten rooted into the soil fastly. Stuck in the gravy-like solution that was their own spit. Igneous just had to grin.

She kicked the beast in it's back where it was most vulnerable with one of her heavy boots. The beast clattered over with a heavy thud.

"Hell yeah," she said. One down and the rest would be soon too.

Igneous glanced at Silantra again. She watched how she had a catfight with one of the other Exosscreans. That was the thing about Anipresbians. They had weak arms and legs, that led to led filled hands and feet. Most struggled to learn how to use it in day to day life, let alone use it in battle.

Perhaps that was why Igneous enjoyed fighting so much. Because she was so good at it compared to everyone else. It made sense in a way, considering she was born the daughter of the previous war general. She had been taught how to throw a punch since the tender age of five. She was raised to take her father's place once he eventually passed away. Igneous liked to think that she accomplished that goal fairly well.

Sometimes she forgot that though. That people other than her couldn't fight as well. Watching Silantra struggle made her insides feel giggly. She just couldn't help it.

Her vision swiveled from Silantra's view to the castle doors. Right on time, she thought. They were here, Igneous thought. The soldiers that Igneous had ordered had finally arrived.

\---

Ellery and Daniella probably should have heard the footsteps far before they saw the figures. There must have been at least 50 of them thundering down the hallway.

Their heads were tilted high and their eyes were glassy. With what? Ellery didn’t know. They stood easily at 7 feet tall with slender builds. They dressed in a thin dim red-colored armor that covered their entire body minus their joints.

Now Ellery understood why the hallways had been so large. If all of the Anipresbians looked like this, it would be absurd to have anything smaller.

While they were all roughly the same shape, their colors differed greatly. They came in all shades of pink, green, red, yellow, and blue. They formed a sunset waterfall as they thundered down the hallway.  
Daniella’s mouth gaped open in awe. Each one of these soldiers looked primed and ready for battle, in the way that those little green soldiers she got when she was a child did. They’re stature and build made them look like they had no free will. Their eyes were glossed over in a way that made Ellery believe that they would honestly die in this battle, or, perhaps that was simply patriotism.

Another thing worth noting about these creatures was their jewelry. Well, perhaps jewelry was putting it a little too lightly. Each creature had an earing attached to their left ear. Weirdly enough, the jewelry reminded Ellery of cattle. Ellery suspected this was what they'd be doing if she chose to stay. 

Shit, Ellery thought. They were mere footsteps away from being caught. The guards were close enough that she could catch the scent of the plastic smell that was their ears.

That didn't seem to be a problem for long though. One of the large creatures took notice of this change in plan, and their interest was instantly piqued. They ambled over on giant hoves that imprinted the ground with crater-sized holes as it walked. Its spine clicked against itself as it walked.

Ellery felt Daniella's hand instantly squeeze against her arm. She could practically hear the other girl's heart thundered in her chest. Ellery Wrapped an arm around the taller girl and pulled her deeper into the nook of the doorway.

The two sat in the nook and listened to the sounds of battle. Creatures growled and metal was stabbed deep into flesh. Black and clear blood spattered onto the floor in front of them. Death was in the air and it wasn't just the smell of rancid blood that was causing it to be so.

All Ellery could concentrate on was holding Daniella until it was all over.

\---

Silantra's hands dug deep into the creature's torso as she tried to reach for something - anything - important. Scratches had already been dug into her hips and she knew that she'd have trouble walking for the next couple weeks. Everything was going to be okay though. As long as she didn't break skin, she would be fine.

The sound of spears thrusting into flesh made her do a 360. The amour. The color. The ear tags. The guard was here. Who had called the guard? Fear wavered through her body like a fish out of water. There was only one person other than her who could do that.

"Igneous!" She yelled. Her hoof stomped into the ground as she made her way over to the other Anipresbian. "Send them back right now!"

Igneous didn't look away from where she was already stomping on one of the already dead Exosscreans. "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"We have perfectly good soldiers already in our mist. We don't need anymore."

"Then why do we have a guard?"

"Because you're stubborn."

"No. You're the stubborn one. How are you still not ready to admit that your plan was bad? There is no way three humans can take over for a hundred soldiers."

"Yeah? Well-" Silantra felt something sharp in her back. There was no pain. There hardly ever was when an injury was serious. "Igneous?"

"Silantra? Oh my god, Silantra!"

\---

"That's it! I can't wait any longer!" Daniella shrieked. Her voice was laced with pain and agony. Ellery knew that she was feral. There would be no stopping her if Ellery didn’t do something now. And who knows what would happen if she goes out there on her own.

Ellery held fast to Daniella’s arm, but she easily shook free of the smaller girl’s grasp. “I have to do something to help,” she panted. Then she bounded up and rushed to the other side of the door.  
Ellery didn't have a choice. She stood up and rushed after her, grabbing onto her wrist all the while.

She hadn’t realized how hard it would be to go after her. Logically, it makes sense. Ellery was only about as tall as Daniella’s chest. What she hadn’t realized was that Daniella had nice muscled legs. Ellery could now almost belive that Daniella could put a dent in one of those things. After she stopped her, of course.

Which kept proving itself to be rather difficult. Ellery dug her heels into the dirt, which left spongy brown residue on the bottom of her boots. Part of her felt like she should let go just for that.  
But then Daniella stopped, and Ellery pitched forward. She had picked herself up from the ground, her elbows and knees stained with a mixture of the strange dirt and what smelled like some kind of blood. “Hey! What was that for?”

Ellery looked up from her position on the ground. The expression on Daniella’s face was what stopped her. Eyes stretched wide open, lips parted just so. The picture-perfect representation of horror.  
“Daniella? What?” Ellery couldn’t help but gawk out. Her eyes glanced over to whatever she was looking at. She found herself with a matching horrified expression.

Soldiers littered the battlefield. Beforehand they had been standing tall and proud. Now most of them weren’t standing at all. The pair of girls watched helplessly as an Exosscrean tore a soldier apart with its bare teeth. The Anipresbian Snapped open, and clear blood flooded out as if they were a gusher.

Ellery saw how easily they died as if they weighed no more than a feather and was no harder to break than a watermelon.

This was the war that Silantra had talked about. There was no military strategy involved. No secret plans or higher powers. This was, to the core, cold and hard battle. This was blood on teeth, flesh stuck between gums, your life becoming a roulette wheel on feet.

This was the war that she and Daniella were now fighting in. And that truth was horrifying.

\---

Ryan stood shoulder to shoulder with the cowardly children. They were shaking and shuddering. It wasn’t like Ryan couldn’t relate. If he had been torn out of his home and then attacked on the way back, he would have been pretty pissed as well.

He had quite the sight, watching the unnatural colors blend together in an unnatural way. He felt like he had one free ticket to the most realistic sci-fi movie imaginable.

“You stayed. Didn’t you?” He heard from behind him. Ryan turned, only to be faced by a short mouse of a girl. Her hair curled around her hair and remained just over her shoulders. It was a shame that she was so small because the way her curves blended into each other made her quite attractive. Who knows, Ryan thought. In this place, anything could happen. He might get desperate.

\---

Igneous felt anger well up inside of her. She punched one of the Exosscrean's in the face before shouting. “Retreat! Get Silantra a healer! She’s in critical condition!”

Silantra was rushed back into the camp room, carried in by two slender mint-colored Anipresbians. They swiftly settled themselves on opposite sides of the alien princess.

"How bad is the damage?" Igneous shouted. Fear welled in her eyes like a gas leak.

"Not too bad. She'll make it out alive. But she will sustain permanent damage."

"Damnit Silantra!" Igneous shouted. She ripped her earing out of her ear and made to stomp on it like she's done before. She thought better of doing so, however, settling for smashing the wood floor underneath them instead. The wood creaked and split, but reformed quickly enough afterward.

"Oooh," Daniella cooed, against her will. Admittedly, Ellery had to agree with her. It was very cool.

"I guess this is a good time to explain how your training will work,' Igneous sighed out, disappointment clouding her vision.

"Training? Damn, I may have to consider leaving again." There he was. The mysterious and oh so greasy boy from before. He looked a little frailer now, however, a little bit more like he'd been brought back to reality.

He wasn't alone, however. He stood with two other shadows. Humans to be specific. One of them was pointed and tiny, and the other was tall, with shoulders like a lumberjack. On a usual day, Ellery would have thought through a dry joke about how different the two figures were. But now, Ellery was too busy wondering how a guy like him could pull it off.

That and Igneous looked about ready to put her foot through something that wasn't the floor. "Yes, there will be training. And the work will be strenuous. This has been your choice. We will not pay for your faulty decision making."

"Ah, well. Better than anything I got back home. Spill the deets."

Igneous sighed. She sat on the ground with her legs crossed. While behind her Silantra was being put back together. The Anipresbian drew a thin flossy material in between her wounds and occasionally rested a glowing hand on the infected area.

"I am certain you have met the Exosscreans already?"

"That's what they're called? The boy barked out. "I would never have guessed that a fella so scary could be called an Exosscrean!"

"There is nothing funny about their race. They have been tormenting our kind ever since they were born out of their birther's womb." Ellery didn't miss the fond way that Igneous' eyes flicked over to Silantra. "You have seen the damage that they cause to our kind. The other soldiers are simply not strong enough to put up a good fight against their kind. That is why we must call upon you humans for help."

Igneous said 'human' like she was describing an insect or a hated celebrity, not the only savior for her species.

"How is that possible?" Daniella asked, "If you have such a brilliant power in your hands." Daniella's eyes shimmered with concern.

"Our kind lacks the creativity of humans. Humans possess souls much brighter, and with much more, uh, well, soul. At least that is what Silantra always says. This was her idea in the beginning after all."

"Soul? Man, how much more gay can you get?" the boy said. Ellery didn't miss how Daniella flinched.

"I have to admit, there was said to be a time when we Anipresbians lost all of our originality in the name of productivity. But that was a long time ago. The queen's crown is an ancient relic. Zemenio is a brilliant place and every day I put my life on the line to protect it. Perhaps that is why I am so warry about handing it off to anyone else. Know what I mean?"

"Yes, I believe I do," the small girl said. Her voice was cherry blossoms on an aging tree. A whisper in the spring air.

"My apologies. There will be no time for you to get used to your new surroundings. As you can tell, we are in a very immediate conundrum, and we need to teach you up as soon as possible. Training starts tomorrow on the 7th star. I will come to receive you."

"What about our gifts? No one else was ever given theirs." The boy from earlier spoke up again. "As long as you cut it with the gay crap. I mean, earrings? Crowns? Are you serious?"

Igneous glowered, "They will receive their gifts tomorrow, or after that. Silantra must be at peak condition to give gifts. Besides,” Igneous sent the dagger-filled look at Daniella, “you don’t even know how to use yours.” Igneous stood up. “Rest up. You will need it.” With that, the creature stood up and carried herself out of the room, leaving the five strangers with each other.

So they were left there, in that room that was as big as a football field but felt like the size of a janitor’s closet. Ellery felt a tiny sense of deja vu.

“So,” Daniella started. “We should probably introduce ourselves.”

“Good idea,” the pointy one said. “Who wants to start?”

“Oh, I’ll do it,” the greasy boy said, to the surprise of no one. Certainly not Ellery.

So they stayed there in that room all night, with an unfamiliar sky hanging above them. They swapped facts about themselves like they were trading cards. Humanity had a weird way of doing that, making those with unfamiliar situations feel like they are at home with each other. Soon enough they climbed into their beds and fell into a light, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Seven: Those who Make up the Team


	7. Those who Make up the Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a lil gift giving for your day.

When Igneous had told them that she’d wake them up, she hadn’t been lying. Daniella had woken to a sound that sounded like a cat being thrown at a gong. What her blurry vision finally portrayed to her didn’t give her another impression. Igneous was carrying a large metal-like slab, and she was hitting it with her hoof-like fists. “Rise and shine. Have a busy day ahead of y’all’s.”

There were collective groans from around the room. Ellery had buried her head deep underneath her pillow. Daniella had to smile. It was clear that she and Ryan were the only two morning people out of the five. There was a secret, sadistic joy in knowing that.

She stood up and walked over to Ellery's bedside. She shook her, "Come on, Sweetheart. It's morning."

"Ugh," she groaned. Igneous slammed her fist against the metal again and sent Ellery springing out of bed like a cat after hearing a doorbell. Daniella snorted a laugh.

"Shut up." 

“Fourth a star, and you better be outside. Or else, I'm sending you back without any memories. They'll have to put you in a home and teach you not to shit yourself."

"Aye Aye, captain," Luke agreed, doing a little salute in her direction. Igneous rolled her eyes, and walked through the closet door. A silent second passed.

"Was it just me, or did she walk into a closet?"

"Do Anipresbians have closets?" Sharp and pointed Alexis asked.

"I get to use the bathroom first," Ryan said. He stood up and headed to the washroom swiftly, opening and smoothly closing the door.

"What would he even do in there? None of us have extra clothes." Alexis asked.

"I don't know, but I can't wait to find out!" Daniella chirped. There was a savage smile on her face. The one that Daniella knew looked too bright on the outside, but felt pretty good and warm on the inside.  
The crowd rose slowly, and Daniella practically jumped into the bathroom once Ryan ducked out, hardly even paying attention to his state at the time.

The bathroom first and foremost, was modest. There was a clean porcelain sink and a large circular mirror in the front. In the back were a boxy shower and another walk-in closet. Daniella shrugged. She probably had a fifth of a star (whatever that meant) to investigate. She popped open the closet door and was met with a tiny space. She stepped in and found that she was surrounded by a hexagonal room with a door on each side. The doors themselves looked modern, with grey and brown colors, and rusty brown nobs. What differed was the touchpad on each of the doors. That, and a symbol that hung just above the center of the door.

"Hmm," Daniella thought to herself. She'd been in a situation like this before. She turned around and examined the symbols on the door. The one she was most attracted to was the one with the plus sign. She tapped her finger to the door, only to be buzzed out. "Interesting."

She went to the next door, one that had a treble clef and tried that one. Buzzed out again. She went on to the mask and then the hand. Lastly, she came to a pale yellow door with a symbol of a sword on the front. She pressed her finger in, and to her surprise, the door's lock let go and Daniella was able to twist the handle open. She gasped happily. "Wow. This is cool!" She knew that she was running out of moons, but she just had to investigate.

Inside the closet was an... you guessed it. An even smaller closet. Filled with tracksuits out of all things. They were sleek, black, and probably made out of leather. They had stripes on the sides that ranged in color, so Daniella chose the bright pink one. She hopped into a shower and quickly got cleaned and dressed. She noticed a hamper in the corner of the bathroom and threw her old clothes in without a second thought. Daniella grinned as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Ellery raised an eyebrow at her. “You look like a discount power ranger.”

Daniella flicked her hair half-heartedly with a hand. She winked. “I’m taking that as a compliment.”

Ellery snorted, then she headed in to get changed.

\---

“Igneous is going to be pissed,” Alexis declared.

“Oh, she’s always pissed,” Luke defended. All Daniella could do was grin. She knew that there was going to be an endless pit at the end of this path, but at the moment she was trying to take everything around her in stride.

“May I do the honors?” She asked.

“Go ahead,” Ryan insisted. Daniella turned the doorknob to the tiny closet and then immediately slammed the slab of wood shut.

“What’s up?” Ellery asked. Wordlessly, Daniella opened the door again.

"It- it's. Oh my god," her face was paler than Ellery had ever seen it before.

"It can't be that bad, Alexis insisted."

"it's - " "Come on, spit it out!" Luke said impatiently.

"It's so cool!" Daniella spit out. Before anyone could stop her she was racing out of the door. Ellery could have sworn that she was running out to her doom, and Ellery wasn't too certain that wasn't what was happening. Ellery felt a lurch of something in her chest and had to rush out after her. At this point, it wouldn't be fair game for Daniella to leave her in this place just like that, especially when Mr. football player and Mrs. annoying had joined their ranks.

Ellery was completely prepared to fall out of time and space. She was surprised when she eventually opened her eyes to the sight in front of her. It was the opposite of anything that Ellery would have expected. Daniella was right. It was cool.

Stretched out in front of her was green as far as the eyes could see. Everything was covered with wide, rolling hills. Clipped grass covered the ground and left the odd spongy feeling of the non-dirt behind. Ellery was tempted to reach down and feel it, to know for sure.

Ellery tilted her head to look back at the sky. Fat clouds drifted past lazily in the light blue air. The sun beat down on her pale skin and, ironically, sent shivers down her spine.

That was what Ryan ended up doing. "Hey, I think it's all real." There was a shot of panic in his voice, and Ellery couldn't tell where it came from.

"What did I tell you?" Daniella said. There was something weird about it, however. Don't ask Ellery how she was able to distinct differences, but, there was something off. It was like the words Daniella was speaking were her words, but not her personality. Who knows, perhaps the door had sucked their souls out in exchange for being permitted back on earth. Or, she hoped it was earth. For all, she knew it could just be a very convincing clone.

"What took you so long?" Igneous growled. There wasn't any bite in her voice at this point, Ellery noted. Silantra was standing by her side, and then Ellery was floored again.  
She twisted her head to survey the setting. Surrounding them in a large hoop was a track. Paved with tiny pebbles, it reminded Ellery of what she had at home. She wondered what Ami would have thought about all of this. There was a twisty feeling in Ellery's gut that she decided to let go of for the moment.

Punching bags were littered around the inside of the hoop. So were large sandboxes and bright orange traffic cones.

Silantra grinned, "Welcome to your first day of camp!"

The five humans stared back at Silantra emptily. She looked as good as she ever had since the day before. Ellery remembered the mention of how she would never be able to fully recover, and the short girl had to call bulshit. For all intents and purposes, she looked good as new.

Her skin was a pastel pink in the sunlight as she grinned.

"it's gift time!" She cut in suddenly Her eyes connected with Ellery's. "Would you like to pick up from where we started?"

Ellery shook her head, "No thank you."

"Alright, that's fine," Silantra grinned, "who would like to go in her place?"

To the surprise of everyone, it was Alexis who rose her hand. "I would like to go If you don't mind." Her voice was taught and gentle as she said it.

"Of course." Then she stuck her palm-fist to her head, wincing at the pain she put herself in. "Igneous, I never got my crown."

'Of course, my queen," Igneous answered. She stepped back into thin air as Silantra grinned.

"Igneous advised me that it would probably be best if I gave you some information about what you're receiving anyway. I have heard that there has already been an incident.

Ellery didn't have to look at Daniella to know that her ears were bright red. "Zemenio is a place with a high opportunity for magic. Even the closet you just walked through contained a small amount. Our planet was born with space pockets in its crooks and corners. No one knows why there are there, but we try to take advantage of them to the best of our ability. For example, you can use these portals as long as you are in range, which is why there is no door back."

Everyone in the crowd started. They all turned around to verify the Queen's words. And sure enough, where there was a door before, there was an empty space in its place.

"Well, all of that is okay that you don't know the way our planet works. It was explained to me as a child. It would be foolish of me to expect anything of those who have not had the opportunity to learn yet. If we continue to use the example, the only reason we have a door inside, you can get out purely by thinking about the place you want to get to. Zemenio has very friendly magic, it will understand your wishes. The door there is to guide you to a place that you have never been to before. A place like this." She smiled, and it was like a princess smiling at her subjects. Ellery supposed it made sense, she was a Queen after all. Ellery wondered how bone-deep this persona went, how many layers you would have to peel back before you got to the flaws underneath. Who knows? Perhaps her kind was born without flaws.

"This is the Bermuda triangle, friends. The only place on earth affected by Zemenio's magic."

The kids sent shocked looks at each other, too surprised to properly speak.

"A gift is an object. Most of the time it is an earring or a piece of jewelry, but it can really be anything."

"Oh thank god. You wouldn't be catching me anywhere wearing earings like a gay person." Luke said from the back of the group.

Silantra continued without pausing or hesitating. "A gift will improve you where you struggle most."

"Yeah, yeah. So, how do you use it?" Daniella practically shouted.

"A gift has a soul of its own, and so it will reveal to you how to use it, once you prove your worthiness to it."

'What does it mean to be worthy?" Alexis cut in.

"Being worthy means taking the time and care to improve yourself, even if you don't think there will be any outside improvements. You will do it to better yourself and your health. Both mental and physical."

"What a load of shit. That just sounds like something someone would say to hide the truth from someone. "You're hiding something from us. I can just tell," Luke cut in.

There was a weird look that overcame Silantra's face. Blank around the eyes and pinched around the area the eyebrows would usually fit. "Why would you think that? I have no reason to hide from the saviors of my nation."

"I don't know. Something seems sketch, that's all I can say," Luke insisted.

Ellery felt a weird sense of wanting to speak in defense, so did some of the other recruits. Luckily, before anything got worse, Igneous returned with the small dog from earlier.

Silantra smiled. "Could I have my crown back? Pretty please? Her eyes shimmered.

The dog barked and shook its tail before stretching open its pocket like it was some kind of muscle. Ellery couldn't help but cringe back in disgust.

Silantra didn't look bothered, however. She placed the crown on her head, and then she transformed. It was almost the same as it was before. No matter how hard Ellery strained her eyes, she couldn't see anything past a shapeless mask.

There was one glaring difference that Ellery couldn't ignore. Once Silantra stepped out of the rose, there was the white spots on the Queen's face. Of course, Ellery remembered them from before. But this time it was different. She went over the spots in her mind. Ellery remembered the huge mark on her cheekbone and the dots that led up to her nose. Perhaps they were just placed in a different order. Ellery was sure it was nothing.

Silantra grinned at Alexis, "Come over here," she said. Alexis stepped forward dutifully. She had these tiny dainty steps that made her look like a ballet dancer.

The group watched as Alexis and this transformed version of Silantra had a private moment. In the end, Alexis had spread her hands to revive a pair of shoes. They weren’t in bad shape, nor were they ugly, but they just seemed so odd on a tiny girl like her.

The shoes were boots. They were black and tall and looked sturdy enough for a rock climber to use on an expedition. Alexis looked at them with interest. Not disapproving but not joyful or excited either. She did thank Silantra, and as soon as she was back with the rest of the kids, she slipped them on. Silantra smiled.

"Next?" Silantra asked. The rest of the kids received their gifts in a similar fashion. It is unimportant to know how each of the five kids got their special gift. The thing that mattered, that made this whole situation interesting, was the gifts themselves.

Luke received a flute necklace. He had blushed when he had originally received it but had otherwise not complained. He hid the charm underneath his shirt so that the only visible part was the chain.

Ryan received a singular glove. It was white and sleek, unlike anything a sports player such as himself should be caught dead wearing. He slipped it on and found it to be a perfect fit. He flexed his fingers and stared at his hand for a long time after that.

Ellery... Well, Ellery hadn't received her gift yet. She stood in front of Silantra and tried to keep her mind open and ready to receive a gift, whatever that meant. Silantra only frowned at her.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry callichthy. I am truly embarrassed that this has happened. I don't have any clue what the cause could be."

"Oh it's nothing," Ellery said nonchalantly, but it was hard to be nonchalant about this. Was she going to be sent home for this? Executed so she couldn't tell anyone. She wondered if she would get to see Ami again, or if Daniella would continue to remember her from beyond the grave.

"Don't fret, honey, I've got it!" Silantra suddenly spit out.

"What?"

"I'll give you Orthorus!" She said again, her eyes shimmering and dancing.

"What?" “Just think about it. This guy is the total package! He can carry twice her weight in goods!" Silantra waved her hands around the animal with a savage smile as she listed all the things that the dog creature could do. "Once you whisper the secret spell, her pockets lock, and there's no getting it out unless they have permission," she put a hoof up by her mouth, "Plus, she's already kind of a gift in her own right."

The animal meowed happily and shook its stub of a tail. "Yes you are," Silantra crooned as she gently tapped his head. Silantra's head swiveled to look back at Ellery."Do you accept?" Silantra blinked, her eyes full of molten hope.

What the fuck? Ellery found her eyes glancing over to Daniella, and she nodded encouragingly as if this was some big opportunity that she just had to say yes to.

Ellery found herself swallowing her pride. "Yes, I accept."

"Wonderful!" Silantra bent over to talk to the creature. "Orthorus, It looks like you have a new owner!"

The dog yipped and ran over to Ellery. The creature stumbled over his own feet as he ran over. How he didn't trip over the large bags saddled on its sides, Ellery didn’t know. Ellery tried her best to put on an appreciative smile, but it was hard for her to do so honestly. She now thought that she understood the crease between Alexis' eyebrows, the teeth in Ryan's smile, perhaps even the way that Luke hid his necklace under his shirt collar.

"Wonderful! I'll trust you in the caring hands of Igneous who will be your trainer. Igneous will know how to find me."

"What if something happens to her?" Ryan cut in.

"Oh, nothing will. Have you seen her?" Silantra said. And then she was gone.

"You heard what the boss said," Igneous declared with a smirk. "Line up."

The kids did as they were told and stood in a line so they were all facing the alien. "Be honest with me, how much do you exercise every day?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Eight: The Effort you put in.


	8. The Effort you put in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as. "I don't know how to write sword fighting" :))

Ryan looked pleased with himself as he said, "I easily spend 3 hours a day at the gym."

Igneous raised an eyebrow but otherwise nodded in approval. "Good. And the rest of you?"

There were hesitant looks between the other four members. There were shrugs and sighs, but the group remained very silent.

“Okay, I have no idea why I asked any of you. Four laps around the track. Hopefully, it won’t take longer than a star.”

There was a questioning look from the collective group. Another question mark to add to the sea full of them. They glanced at the tall green hills around them. Sure enough, in the far distance, where green met aquamarine, there was a tiny sliver of red. Ellery scathed her eys along the path. The track went all the way around the island.

Daniella stood by her side. She nodded. Of course. She had one foot in the air when Igneous continued her speech.

"Be warned. None of this will be easy. And not even in the way that humans think athleticism is hard. I will find your weakest point and then I'll exploit it until it's your biggest strength.

After all, that's how I had to grow up. It's easy to look at the pennies of talent you already have in your metaphorical purse, it's easy to think that being able to walk is good enough. All of you have your heads tilted to the ground, and I find that truly troubling. That is why I will put my had under your chin and yank it up to the sky." She smacked her hooves together. "Anyways, enough talking. Laps. Now."

Daniella paused to smile. Ellery would have liked to stand still for a moment, enjoy the lull of the moment that seemed to be such an odd pocket of happiness in the strangest place. However, Daniella has her hand wrapped around Ellery's arm. Before she knew it they were running.

None of them made it. It took Ellery a half a lap for her legs to go numb, and another quarter for her and Ellery to both give up and collapse on the hard ground underneath them. Daniella was laughing.

They all walked back to the starting point with their tails tucked between their legs. To their surprise, Igneous didn’t yell at any of them

She stood in front of them like a challenge. “I’ve got to be honest. I have no idea how skilled any of you are. That’s why we’re going to engage in a little combat.

Alexis raised an eyebrow, “What kind of combat?”

Igneous smirked. "Five on one. Fencing."

Ryan grinned, “awesome! Hell yeah.”

“Wait,” Luke interjected, “Why fencing?”

“You humans are weak. Anything else, and I’d break every bone in your body,” Igneous stated the fact as if it were obvious. “Does anyone know how to play?” Igneous gave them an expectant look, only to be returned with blank stares. “Of course you don’t.”

Igneous unsheathed a sword from the rack she stood beside. Well, calling it a sword was generous. With the skinny blade, it looked like it was more fit to be used to cover windows than to cause any harm to anyone

"This is how I start training any Anipresbian soldier to asses their abilities. You start with a sword." Igneous tossed said sword up in the air with a flick of her wrist. "Since our hands are more clumsy than yours, I usually have to spend hours teaching them to hold them. Since I'm teaching it to you, I luckily won't have to do that." Igneous tossed the sword to Alexis.

She caught the blade with shaky hands, she winced back as her hands grasped hard to the blade. She opened her eyes curiously. "Wait. It's not sharp."

"That's right. I don't need any of you hurting each other." Igneous said. She retrieved another sword from the rack. "A usual match with consist of two players, care to be an example, glasses?"

Alexis nodded frantically, without hesitation.

"The rules are simple. Whoever hits the tip to their opponent first wins the point." Igneous presses the tip of the skinny blade to Alexis' chest. "Got that?"

The group nodded in unison. "Usually it would be two people, anyway. Just to see what I'm working with, I'll have all of you fight me at once."

Ellery raised an eyebrow. Ryan tilted his head.

Igneous threw the sword to Ellery. It hit her square in the chest.

Igneous continued. "The rest of you, get swords. The practice mat is right over there," she said while pointing to a large dirt clearing."

"Wow. That's pretty big for a sword fight," Alexis said.

"It can get pretty messy. You'll see."

Elley retrieved the sword she had taken up a second ago, examining it. The hilt glinted brightly. The swords had never been used before.

She glanced at Alexis, who was doing the same thing. She noticed and gave her a shy smile. "Hey. I guess we should get over there."

Ellery nodded. "Sure."  
The two of them walked at a slow pace. Alexis looked at her feet almost the entire time. It was a wonder that she didn't miss something and a trip.

"So... I've been meaning to ask you something."

“What?” Alexis flushed, her neck turning bright red. “Well, it’s nothing really important. It’s kind of stupid.”

Ellery continued to look at her. She blinked. She didn’t say anything in encouragement or smile or nod. She did look at her though.

“Well, I wanted to ask-” 

“Hurry up El!” She glanced up to Daniella, who waved from where she stood in the middle of the clearing.

Ellery smiled smartly. “Coming!”

\---

Ryan blew hair out of his face. He stood the sword in front of him awkwardly. He had never tried to fence, but he had watched his younger brother go to a class every week. His younger incarnation made the sport look so easy as he held the sword like it was a part of his body. It was not easy

He and the rest of the kids stood in a circle around Igneous. She stood easily, glancing around her as if this match was just another thing to cross off her to-do list. Ryan bit his lip.

"Ready?" She asked. 

Daniella nodded, "Yes."

Once the rest of them nodded their approval, igneous counted down from three.

"Three," she said. Ryan looked down at the saber in his hands.

"Two." 

He glanced at Daniella for a quick second.

"One." 

Igneous turned to Ryan in a split-second action. He had her sword in his chest before he could make sense of what was up and what was down. He blinked.

Luke tried to take advantage of the opening, but Igneous was faster. She pushed the blade at a leg that Luke kept unguarded. She used the lower balance to put her hands on the floor and flip her body over so she was right side up again. She pressed her blade right into Ellery's shoulder as she did so.

Alexis went in for her hoof. Igneous blocked the attempt with her sword and then pressed into her thigh. Igneous turned to Daniella, whose hands were over her chest as if she was being caught without a towel. Igneous took the flair in putting the saber to her neck. The whole thing couldn't have lasted longer than 30 seconds.

"Really? That was it?" She demanded.

The rest of them looked at each other with matching blank expressions.

"That is precisely why I've done that. It looks like I have quite a group of people to work with." Igneous admitted, "Because that match was quite short, I couldn't quite figure out what any of you are good at. So next is one on one matches." She turned to face the group.

Ryan wondered who he'd be paired against. It seemed a little odd to do that if she didn't know what their skill levels were. If he'd be paired with Ellery, it would be over for her. That didn't seem like it would improve her knowledge of their skills any.

Igneous pointed at him, "Tall boy, you're with Ms sunshine," she pointed at Daniella, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Glasses and Xanax, you're together as well."

'So where does that put me?" Luke asked as if he were hurt at the prospect of being left out.

"You're with me," Igneous said. Ignoring Luke's protests, she did a sweeping motion, singling the kids to get off the clearing.

"Gremlins, you're going first."

Alexis and Daniella glanced at each other in confusion, but they shrugged and stood across from each other in the circle.

"Ready?" Igneous asked. "Ready," they replied.

"Go!" igneous shouted. The two looked at each other for a long time. It wasn't that they were slacking or confused in any way. Both of their postures were rigid. They were looking for openings in each other's stances. While Igneous knew that she could rely on pure speed, the two of them were at similar skill levels. They knew that if one of them were attacked, the other could take advantage of the opening.

Alexis was mostly doing this as a defense mechanism, her eyes gazing over Ellery for any sign that she might give and open up for her. Ellery, however, was looking at Alexis' body and build, trying to find an open space for her to attack. A leg out of place or a shoulder hunched too tight. While on the outside it looked like a stalemate, Ryan knew that it was more like a test of will. Eventually, someone would have to give up and attack. The rest would be up to speed.

Alexis gave first. She went for Ellery's shoulder, perhaps thinking that she wouldn't be protecting the space, thinking it would be a safe spot for her to hit. She was wrong. Ellery took advantage of this opening since she had already been looking at her for any hints, she realized that Alexis left her chest completely open by doing so. She took the opportunity and the match was over.

Ellery looked bored, and Alexis was just ashamed.

Igneous nodded like she had been familiar with this kind of tactic. "Ryan. Daniella. You're next "

Ryan stepped up to the figurative plate. Daniella stood opposite to him. She was bouncing on the back of her feet, swinging her sword from side to side. Her hair bounced along with her and Ryan wanted to giggle.

Not now, he told himself, concentrate.

"Ready?"  
"Ready!" Daniella shouted.

"Begin," Igneous declared. Daniella went for a chest attack right away. Ryan blocked her easily. He took a step back. Daniella tried again, aiming for his legs. Ryan jumped and blocked that shot as well.

Daniella frowned but held her saber in front of her with confidence anyway.

Ryan went in for an attack at her shoulder. The shot didn't make it.

Daniella curled over backward her hands on the ground, still grasping the saber in her hands tightly. as her feet went up, she kicked at Ryan's sabr, once she was right side up, she turned around and hit Ryan securely on the chest.

Ryan blushed "Nice, but that was an illegal move. Try again."

"What?" Luke complained, "but That's not fa-"

"Ready?" Igneous asked them.

Ryan and Daniella nodded. The match began.

This time Ryan started and it was Daniella who blocked. Daniella bit her lip and went for his feet. Ryan took the opportunity and hit Daniella's shoulder.

Igneous nodded. "Point." She glanced at the people she had to work with. "Hmm. Alexis? Ryan? You're up."

Ignoring Luke's complaining, the two stood against each other. This happened for some time, Ingeous paired up the kids in every which way possible. Ryan kept trying to figure out how she was doing it. At first, he thought it was based on playing style, then on skill. Perhaps, he thought, Anipresbians were made with built-in scoreboards, so perhaps she was doing it like that. No, he argued with himself, Alexis lost her first match so that couldn't be right. They played until their limbs were sore and standing up was a sport in of itself. They sat in a circle around Igneous' feet.

"Valuable information was collected today. A lot of good and valuable information indeed. Something that surprised me was the human ability to adapt. Usually, I wouldn't waste a day figuring out the fighting ability of a group of soldiers. Because they don't adapt as humans do. You, humans, look at something in front of you and think 'well how do I take this and make it mine?'

“You humans are different. Although you are clumsy and ignorant. There’s a reason you’ve survived so long. You’re able to adapt to things.”

"I'm going, to be honest. When I first came in contact with you, I thought we were done for, and if I'm being completely honest, we still are. But I may be able to make something useful of you yet."

Igneous continued, "Go back to the cabins and rest up. I'll be expecting ten laps by the fourth star, and you better not disappoint me."

When she finished, the kids nodded and headed back. Ryan looks over his shoulder to the purple alien. She was picking the sabers off of the ground and putting them back in the rack. Her expression was complex, but Ryan saw that underneath the creased eyebrows and tense posture, that she was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Nine: A Forgotten Question


End file.
